During the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an extreme shortage of coronavirus tests. To get tested, you had to get a doctor's order. And to get an order, specific criteria for COVID-19 symptoms had to be met, such as having a fever, etc.

Partly attributed to the advent of at-home testing kits, the United Statesisn'tnow struggling with aCOVID-19 testing shortage and other related supplies. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now approved more than eight testing kits, with the latest FDA approval being a rapid test kit that provides COVID-19 test results within 30 minutes. The test kit eliminates the need for an elderly or sick person to visit a clinic or testing site, which means fewer people will be exposed to the virus.

Almost a year into the pandemic, taking a COVID Test remains a pivotal element of reducing the rate of spread since it helps to identify a person carrying the coronavirus - both the asymptomatic and those who are visibly ill. After people are aware of their infection status, it becomes possible for them to take precautionary measures and prevent others from contracting the deadly virus.

Types of at-home COVID-19 tests that can be used by New Yorkers

Currently, two types of tests can be used at home: saliva tests and swab tests.

• Swab tests

A sample to test for coronavirus using a swab test is collected by swabbing the inside of your cheek and nose. At-home testing-kit versions for swab tests are less invasive, unlike the swab tests done at testing sites that collect samples from deep in the nasal passage. The FDA has approved these kits to be as accurate as the samples taken by doctors.

You can easily take a sample from the nasal passage while at home using a special swab enclosed in the home-test kit. You can then send the sample to a certified laboratory such as LabCorp.

To purchase this kind of test-it initially required a doctor's order, but it has now become readily available to anyone.

• Saliva tests

Thanks to the development to test for the coronavirus using saliva samples, saliva tests behave much like taking DNA tests, where you have to spit into a tube and send it to a lab after having sealed it well. The saliva tests are less uncomfortable, not invasive, pose less risk to doctors, and you can easily take the samples in the comfort of your home. That helps prevent coronavirus exposure to health care professionals at testing sites and will save you time if you're busy working at home.

Following authorization from the FDA, saliva test kits for at-home use are now available without telemedical approval. While you could only initially obtain it with a doctor's prescription, you now just need to take an assessment asking about your symptoms.

You don't have to worry about how the saliva tests can perform, as the FDA has done sufficient and promising findings. According to recent research conducted by public health researchers, saliva tests were proven to be just as accurate as nasal swabs -- and sometimes even more so.

Andrew McDermott, president of ReliefSeeker.com said that "people are finding it much more convenient to have a test administered right at home or work and eliminate an extra trip to an urgent care center or another testing facility where they could be at risk for infection" and that the Ready Responders new COVID Test offering was seeing “incredible demand.”

What the new rapid home testing kit has to offer

The coronavirus in New York has taken a heavy toll on businesses, and peoples' affairs, including schools that are still being affected by the pandemic. People in the United States who think they were exposed to the COVID-19 face several logistical obstacles to take the aCOVID-19 test: the many test sites available have been taking days to produce results. They also require you to leave quarantine to visit a clinic or medical professional.

With the invention of the rapid,at-home COVID-19 test kit that has been authorized by the FDA, the logistical obstacles to take coronavirus tests in person could end. The winter season has kicked in, and coronavirus infections in New York have surged. The rapid, at-home test kit will prevent people that have possibly been infected from going into hospitals or clinics to get tested. As the manufacturer scales up production, the kit is expected to reach the entire public by early spring. That said, the virus that has killed more than 258,000 people in the US will not spread dangerously.

The rapid test kit tests genetic material, just like laboratory tests that are standard for detecting the coronavirus. With this kit, you just need to swirl nasal specimen into a solution and plug the vial into a battery-operated, portable device. This indicates the test result using light within 30 minutes, and it can generate a positive test result in as few as 11 minutes.